William Nylander said he’s sorry, but the NHL is making sure that he’s really sorry.
The league handed Nylander a $5,000 fine for “making an inappropriate gesture” after he flipped the middle finger to a TV camera that had been pointed in his direction during Sunday’s Maple Leafs game against the Avalanche.
The TSN broadcast had its cameras pointed at the press box, where Nylander and other Leafs players not suited up for the game had been seated, when he gave it the middle finger and then started laughing.
Leafs players in the press box realized they were on the tv broadcast and William Nylander flipped the bird? pic.twitter.com/be70R2GuX0
William Nylander gives the middle finger to a broadcast camera during an Avalanche-Maple Leafs game. X @GinoHard_
“Nylander directed an inappropriate gesture at a television camera operator while the camera was directed at Mr. Nylander and his teammates in the press box. The gesture was shown live on-air during the game broadcast,” NHL senior vice president of player safety George Parros said in a statement. “This serves as a reminder the code of conduct governing Players extends throughout the arena at NHL games and in public game situations.”
Nylander did apologize for his actions in a post on social media on Sunday, as well as while speaking with reporters on Monday after the Leafs practiced.
He said he made the gesture out of frustration and that it wasn’t directed towards anybody in particular.
“I just wanted to apologize for my actions yesterday. It was out of frustration, so I’m sorry about that,” Nylander said.
William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates with teammates after a goal during the first period against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on January 15, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NHLI via Getty Images
Nylander has been dealing with a groin injury and will miss his sixth game on Tuesday night when the Sabres visit the Maple Leafs.
The Leafs have lost four of the five games that he’s been out with the injury.
Leafs coach Craig Berube seemed ready to move on from the middle finger incident.
“He made a mistake. He owned up to it,” Berube said. “Things happen. People make mistakes. Players make mistakes. Coaches make mistakes. It happens. He knows it’s wrong and he owned up to it.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Robertson scored at 3:53 of overtime as the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Will Borgen also scored for the Rangers, and Jonathan Quick got his 408th career win — passing Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall for 12th place on the NHL list. Quick made 21 saves and assisted on the overtime winner.
The Rangers, last in the Eastern Conference, took two of three against Boston this season. They improved to 6-13-4 at home and won for only the third time in 14 games overall.
Elias Lindholm had two goals and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins. David Pastrnak added three assists to reach 900 career points. He has nine assists in his last five games. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 shots.
Cuylle opened the scoring midway through the first period with his 12th of the season. Borgen’s wrist shot tied the game at 3 with 6:17 remaining in the third.
The Rangers celebrated their 1994 championship team before the game as part of the franchise’s centennial celebration.
Up next
Bruins: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Rangers: Visit the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic drives to the basket in front of Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of the Lakers' 129-118 win Monday night. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Luka Doncic skipped, shimmied and shot. The Lakers dunked, hollered and won.
Doncic dazzled yet again with 46 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the Lakers' 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Lakers (28-17) notched their fourth win in five games. It was his third game in the last four with at least 10 assists — all wins.
The 26-year-old guard scored 32 points in the second half. He mimicked shooting pistols after he laced one three-pointer. After another, late in the fourth, he skipped backward on defense away from the Bulls' bench. Doncic’s second-half scoring barrage picked up after LeBron James scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half. Rui Hachimura added 23 points off the bench.
Hachimura, who has been coming off the bench since he returned from a calf injury two weeks ago, hit nine of 11 shots from the field, including four threes. He drained consecutive threes, both spurred by Doncic passes, in the third quarter to help the Lakers hold off a Bulls comeback.
A transition dunk from Hachimura put the Lakers up by 20 with 1:27 left in the first half. The Lakers, after struggling with airline delays leaving Dallas on Saturday night, looked as if they would cruise comfortably to a win.
Then Chicago closed the half on a 7-0 run. It grew to a 18-5 stretch that forced coach JJ Redick to call a timeout when the Lakers' lead was cut to seven. It shrank to one with 6:42 left in the third quarter.
Lakers star LeBron James dunks in front of Chicago Bulls guard Coby White in the first half Monday. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
The Lakers answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Hachimura. Doncic whipped a one-handed behind-the-back pass across the court to Gabe Vincent, who re-directed it to Hachimura. He drained the shot. On the next Lakers possession, he hit another three-pointer off a Doncic assist.
Hachimura has made eight of 12 three-point attempts in the last two games.
The starting lineup could soon shift again with Austin Reaves close to returning from a calf injury that has kept him out for more than a month. Redick said Reaves could be back as soon as Thursday’s game against Cleveland.
NEW YORK (AP) — Matthew Robertson scored at 3:53 of overtime as the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Monday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Will Cuylle, J.T. Miller and Will Borgen also scored for the Rangers, and Jonathan Quick got his 408th career win — passing Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall for 12th place on the NHL list. Quick made 21 saves and assisted on the overtime winner.
The Rangers, last in the Eastern Conference, took two of three against Boston this season. They improved to 6-13-4 at home and won for only the third time in 14 games overall.
Elias Lindholm had two goals and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins. David Pastrnak added three assists to reach 900 career points. He has nine assists in his last five games. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 24 shots.
Cuylle opened the scoring midway through the first period with his 12th of the season. Borgen’s wrist shot tied the game at 3 with 6:17 remaining in the third.
The Rangers celebrated their 1994 championship team before the game as part of the franchise’s centennial celebration.
Up next
Bruins: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Rangers: Visit the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We so glad you braved the weather to visit us. Please come in out of the cold. It’s plenty warm in here. We can check your coat. There’s no cover charge. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last week I asked you if the Cubs should sign free agent right-handed starter Chris Bassett. You were pretty cool on the idea as 49 percent of you said the Cubs should not sign Bassett. Another 26 percent of you think the Cubs should sign him if he came with a significant discount.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic only has a couple more weeks to run, but you can always stop in at anytime. But as always, you can skip it if you want.
Tonight I’m featuring one of those NPR Tiny Desk Concerts (support public radio!) from 2016, with the now-late pianist Chick Corea and the still-living vibraphonist Gary Burton.
You voted in the second round of the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and Terminator 2: Judgment Day said “hasta la vista, baby” to Brazil. I love Brazil and would have voted for it, but it’s hard to argue with something that sold as many tickets at Terminator 2. Plus, those special effects. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton do indeed look cool.
Tonight we the final matchup of the second round. Our number-one seed, The Matrix, goes up against the six seed, [sigh] Back to the Future. Time to break out those old Huey Lewis and the News LPs!
I suppose the advantage of tonight’s matchup is that I don’t think that I need to explain either film to any of you. Both films have become memes—cultural touchstones that people can make reference to and everyone is supposed immediately understand the point. Even if you haven’t seen one of these two movies, you know what they’re about. You know the big beats in the film like the red pill/blue pill choice or a time machine made out of a DeLorean. Or Marty McFly’s mother wanting to make out with him.
The Matrix. (1999) Directed by The Wachowskis. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Here’s the Kung Fu scene between Neo (Reeves) and Morpheus. Obviously this scene borrows a lot of the Hong Kong action films of the eighties and nineties, but the vast majority of US viewers would not have picked up on that.
Back to the Future (1985). Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson.
Here’s our first look at the DeLorean time machine.
Now it’s time to vote.
You have until Wednesday to vote. Then, we’re moving on the third round as The Day the Earth Stood Still takes on Godzilla. I must warn you, the won-loss record of creatures going up against Godzilla is not good. Maybe Gort will do better.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the movies and music.
Whenever there is a trade these days, most baseball sites will post an evaluation/grade of the deal within a day or two. And in handing out those grades, there’s always a reference to “Compared to what [team x] gave up for [player y], this deal . . .” Trades are not made in a vacuum. Each one sets the market for every other one.
So tonight, I’m going to ask you which deal do you wish the Cubs had made? Of course, the Cubs did make one deal with the Marlins for Edward Cabrera. That’s one option for you to vote for. But there were three other starting pitchers traded this winter. Which deal do you wish the Cubs had made?
Of course, not all of these trades were actually available to team president Jed Hoyer. The team on the other end of the deal has to want players that the Cubs currently have. If the Marlins had wanted a major-league ready strong defensive catcher for Cabrera, for example, the Cubs wouldn’t have been able to make that trade.
On top of that, we all know that the Brewers were highly unlikely to deal Freddy Peralta to the Cubs for rivalry reasons. I’m not saying that it couldn’t have happened, but the Brewers were likely to ask for a major premium in order to deal their best trade asset to a division rival.
Basically, this is just me asking “Which team made the best trade?” Or at least, which of these four traded pitchers fits in with the Cubs needs the best?
Here’s a quick reminder of the trades that we’re looking at tonight. My apologies go out to Ryan Weathers, whom I didn’t include among the choices. Maybe he shouldn’t have had so many injuries over the past two seasons. I suspect Weathers would agree with that.
Edward Cabrera. Age 28. 8-7 3.53 ERA. 9.8 K9, 3.1 BB9 in 2025. Three years of team control left.
You’re probably already familiar with this deal.
December 19. Orioles acquire RHP Shane Baz from Rays for OF Slater DeBrun, C Caden Bodine, RHP Michael Forret, OF Austin Overn and a competitive balance pick (33 overall in 2026)
Shane Baz. Age 27. 10-12 4.87 ERA. 9.5 K9, 3.5 BB/9 in 2025. Three years of team control left.
Obviously the Cubs could not have made this trade because they don’t have any draft picks that can be dealt. But beyond that pick at the end of the first round, the Orioles got back four prospects, all of which were ranked in the top 30 of the Orioles system by MLB Pipeline but none of them in the Orioles top five. However, DeBrun (6), Bodine (10) and Forret (11) were three of the top 11 prospects in a deep Baltimore system. Baseball America ranks those three prospects a little lower, but they also rank Overn a lot higher than Pipeline does. (17th as opposed to 30).
Unlike Caissie, none of these prospects are considered top 100 prospects. So this was a quantity over a quality deal. But it’s a heck of a lot of quantity and there’s that draft pick to consider, who would almost certainly be another top ten prospect.
January 22: Rangers acquire LHP MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals for SS Gavin Fein, RHP Alejandro Rosario, INF Devin Fitz-Gerald, OF Yeremy Cabrera, 1B/OF Abimelec Ortiz.
MacKenzie Gore. Age 27. 5-15, 4.15 ERA. 10.4 K9. 3.6 BB9. Two years of team control left.
Once again, this is a quantity over quality trade, but it’s a lot of quantity. Five prospects in the Rangers Top 30 according to both MLB Pipeline, between fifth (Fein) and 24th (Ortiz). Baseball America didn’t put Fitz-Gerald or Ortiz in their Top 30, although they did like both of them and they thought Fein was the Rangers’ third-best prospect. This is a similar package to what the Orioles gave up for Baz, except that they didn’t get draft pick like the Rays did. The Orioles also get one more year of control on Baz than the Rangers got with Gore.
Freddy Peralta. Age 30. 17-6, 2.70 ERA. 10.4 K9, 3.4 BB9. One year of team control.
Tobias Myers. Age 27. 1-2, 3.55 ERA. 6.8 K9, 2.8 BB9. Four years of team control.
This trade is a bit different because the Mets got Myers as a pretty decent throw-in, but Peralta is the clear headliner here. Peralta certainly has the biggest track record of success among these traded starters, but the Mets also only get one year of control on him. Yes, they can slap a qualifying offer on him so the Mets could be looking at an extra draft pick if they fail to re-sign him, but the way the Mets spend, that draft pick is going to be pretty low.
Going back to the Mets are two top prospects, one of whom, Sproat, has already made his major league debut. But Williams is the big deal here as he was the Mets’ third-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and fourth according to Baseball America. Both publications think Williams is a Top 100 prospect, although Pipeline (30th) thinks more of him that BA (71st). Williams is also close enough to the majors to make his debut sometime this year.
Sproat was the Mets’ sixth-best prospect according to Pipeline and fifth per BA. He made his major league debut in 2025. In four starts he had a high ERA (4.79) but a very low FIP (2.80), which indicates that he was either the victim of bad luck or bad defense.
This is a real quality over quantity deal for a one-year rental.
So which one of these trades do you wish the Cubs had made? Which team came out the best?
Thank you for stopping by this evening. We’re always glad to see a friendly face. Please get home safely. Call a ride if you need to. Stay warm. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.
The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the NHL's biggest surprises this season. After having a cold start to the campaign, the Sabres now have a 29-17-5 record and are third in the Atlantic Division standings.
There are many reasons for the Sabres being in this good of a position right now, and goaltender Alex Lyon is undoubtedly one of them. The 33-year-old goaltender has been fantastic for the Sabres this season and is only getting better as the campaign rolls on.
In 23 games on the season so far with the Sabres, Lyon has recorded a 12-6-3 record, a 2.70 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and has tied his career-high in shutouts with two. With this, he has certainly been making a big impact for the Sabres this campaign.
Lyon has also won each of his last nine appearances for the Sabres, which has tied him for the longest winning streak in franchise history with Gerry Desjardins. That is incredibly impressive stuff.
When noting that Lyon has a bargain $1.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season, it is absolutely clear that he has been a complete steal for the Sabres.
Luka Dončić poured in 46 points and the Lakers put together one of their better defensive performances of the season as they knocked off the Bulls in Chicago, 129-118.
LA shot 56.1% from the field and 16-33 from the 3-point line. Defensively, they forced 15 turnovers, 12 in the first half, turning it into 23 points on the other end. The Lakers led for the entirety of the final three quarters and by double digits for long stretches.
It was the LeBron James show to start as he shouldered the offensive load early for the Lakers with six of LA’s first 12 points. Luka Dončić was close behind with four points. Mata Buzelis and Jalen Smith combined for 10 points for the Bulls.
At the first timeout, Los Angeles was down by four.
Smith continued his strong start for Chicago, reaching double figures with 10. Luka started feeling it from behind the arc, draining two triples. Rui Hachimura scored a quick seven points off the bench.
The Lakers ended the quarter on a 9-0 scoring run, putting them up by four.
The Lakers ended the 1st Q on a 9-0 run, with Hachimura, Vanderbilt and Hayes helping Dončić, to take a 35-31 lead despite hot shooting early from the Bulls.
The run exploded to 16-2 quickly in the second period. LeBron was cooking with seven points while Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Hachimura were spearheading the excellent defensive effort, combining for two blocks, seven rebounds and three assists.
LeBron RAMS up the court and SLAMS it home 😲
He's the first player to record 20+ PTS in a half during the play-by-play era AFTER TURNING 41 YEARS OLD! pic.twitter.com/RPTeLWLAIT
Buzelis drained a 3-pointer to stop some of the bleeding for the Bulls. Luka was finding his teammates all over the court, dishing six dimes. LA was shooting 46% from behind the arc, after starting 33%.
Los Angeles created 12 turnovers with their suffocating defense. LA had 16 fastbreak points, helping extend their scoring run to 43-25. The Lakers did allow the Bulls to score seven quick points to chip away at the deficit.
At halftime, the purple and gold were up by 13.
The third period began with both teams exchanging 3-pointers. Luka notched a quick five points for LA. Chicago was cooking early in the quarter, scoring on three triples and cutting Los Angeles’ lead to single digits.
Luka drained a 3-pointer out of a Lakers timeout to stop some of the bleeding for LA. Isaac Okoro responded with a 3-pointer on the other end for Chicago. Luka had 12 points in the third.
The change in momentum was rough as Los Angeles looked completely lost on defense after having such a strong defensive effort in the first half. The Bulls were on an extended 29-12 scoring run.
Chicago had been able to cut the deficit to one until the Lakers responded well with an 8-0 run. Hachimura drained two 3-pointers, which were a huge reason why LA kept its lead.
LA had taken complete control of the game, on the shoulders of Luka, who scored a massive 20 points in the quarter, and Hachimura.
Going into the fourth period, Los Angeles was up by 15.
The final frame began with Hachimura converting on a jump shot. Nikola Vučević scored five points for the Bulls. Hachimura drained another 3-pointer, adding to his excellent performance off the bench.
Chicago went on a 9-3 run to keep it close. At the 5:07 mark, the Lakers were nursing a seven-point lead. Both teams exchanged triples, and the lead was now nine for Los Angeles with 3:15 left to go in the game.
Luka then responded with yet another triple, which was his eighth of the night. Hayes delivered the dagger with a steal and a between-the-legs dunk that made everyone erupt.
Luka finished with 46 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. Hachimura pitched in with 23 points off the bench. LeBron scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half. He also grabbed five rebounds.
LaRavia notched eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Vanderbilt did the dirty work off the bench with seven rebounds and two assists. Ayton ended with six points. Smart scored 12 points. Jaxson Hayes had two blocks with his eight points and four rebounds.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday at 4:00 PM PT.
For the second consecutive year, the Washington Wizards will send a franchise-record-tying three players to the 2026 NBA Rising Stars Game, the NBA announced Monday.
Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George made the sophomore squad, while first-year guard Tre Johnson earned a spot on the rookie team. It marked George and Johnson’s first Rising Stars selections. Sarr made the rookie team last season.
The Rising Stars challenge is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on Feb. 13 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
The challenge is made of four teams. Three of them are made of rookies and sophomores. One team is made solely of NBA G League players. Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame players Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady will be the coaches of the three teams while ESPN NBA analyst and former Wizards player Austin Rivers will coach the G League team.
Sarr leads the league in blocks per game (2.1) and ranks first among second-year player in points per game (17.4).
The 7-foot center ranks among the league’s top shot blockers and has seen an uptick in his field goal percentage. After shooting just 39.4% FG and and 30.8% 3PT last season, Sarr has improved his efficiency, making 50.5% of his field goals and 34.4% of his 3-point attempts this season.
After he was snubbed from last year’s Rising Stars roster, George made sure the selection committee had no choice but to call his number this year. Among second-year players, the 22-year-old forward ranks third in points per game (15.5), fifth in assists per game (5.1) and top-8 in both steals per game and blocks per game.
Tre Johnson’s selection is a timely one. The sharpshooting rookie is fresh off his best game as a pro — a 26-point, six-assist performance against the Charlotte Hornets.
Among his fellow rookies, Johnson ranks sixth in points per game (12.9) and 3-point percentage (39.3%). He’s shooting 44.4% from the field and 88.1% from the free-throw line.
While the Wizards will send three players, which is tied for an NBA-best, to the Intuit Dome for All-Star Weekend, second-year guard Bub Carrington was notably left off the Rising Stars roster.
Carrington struggled to begin the season, which is the likely reason for his omission. But he’s come along ever since, bringing his averages to 9.9 points per game on 40.5% 3PT.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic behind yet another offensive explosion from Donovan Mitchell.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
45 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
Mitchell was in attack mode again tonight. He scored 26 points in the first half, burying 4-of-5 three-point attempts in his first 17 minutes. His hot shooting helped the Cavaliers claw back from an early deficit and reclaim momentum.
Mitchell continued to score into the second half, finishing with 45 points and improving the Cavs’ record to 11-1 when he scores 35+ points.
Grade: A+
Evan Mobley
20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Mobley is looking more spry and agile by the day. He’s moving around the court with the confidence he hasn’t always shown. It doesn’t feel like anyone can stop Mobley from getting to his spots right now. I’ve been wanting to type that sentence for years.
Grade: A+
Support us and rep Evan Mobley with Homage!
We’ve partnered with Homage to help provide Cavs fans with the best gear. Anything bought from the links below helps support Fear the Sword while also allowing you to rep the Cavs. You can also shop all Homage Cavs gear HERE.
The Cavs have a rising star in Tyson. He once again made an impact on both ends of the floor, playing defense, bulldozing his way into the paint, and connecting on three-point jumpers with efficiency.
Grade: A+
Craig Porter Jr.
4 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds
Porter looked especially quick tonight as the Magic double-teamed Mitchell and left him with openings to attack. This led to Porter getting into the paint and finding his teammates for BLANK assists.
Grade: B+
Lonzo Ball
0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
This wasn’t anything crazy, but Ball has probably played two of his better games as a Cavalier in his two latest against the Magic. Aside from being part of a brutal lineup in the first quarter (featuring Ball, Tomlin, Proctor, Porter, and Nance), Ball held his own tonight.
I don’t think his teammates did a great job of getting him the ball, but Allen was effective every time he got a touch. He shot 4-6 from the floor and was aggressive with all of his opportunities.
Grade: B+
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Tomlin is facing a make-or-break moment. His minutes have seen diminishing returns as opponents ignore him from the three-point line. He started the game 1-5 from the floor as the Magic left him wide open from the corner and packed the paint on his drives.
He found a way to break free for a moment in the second half, but he’ll have to develop into a more consistent shooter for him to take the next step.
Grade: C-
Dean Wade
6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Wade turned in another quality performance. Strong defense, solid rebounding, and a positive impact on the Cavalier offense despite shooting 0-2 from three.
Grade: A–
Tyrese Proctor
6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Kenny Atkinson can’t stop talking about Proctor’s “moxy” on the basketball court. The kid has confidence, and he showed it tonight by hitting a big-time three-pointer in the second half and ripping the ball away from the Magic for a backbreaking steal.
The Islanders came into Philadelphia on Monday night outmanned and reeling, having lost their past two games by a combined score of 9-1.
For a team that hadn’t lost three straight games in regulation since the first three games of the season, and for a team that would have gone below the playoff cutline with a defeat, this was a game they needed in the worst sort of way.
Down Simon Holmstrom, Cal Ritchie and Ryan Pulock with a combination of illness and injury, the Islanders showed their resilience anyway, defeating the Flyers 4-0 at Wells Fargo Center.
“We approached the game like it was a playoff game,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau told reporters after a two-goal performance. “And I thought we played an extremely solid game. Of course, when your goalie gives zero, it helps a lot.”
This performance had so much of what the Islanders have lacked recently.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau #44 of the New York Islanders celebrates his first period shorthanded goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with Casey Cizikas #53 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NHLI via Getty Images
The Islanders dominated on special teams. They held the puck in the offensive zone and played off the cycle. They cut down on high-danger chances around Ilya Sorokin’s crease, helping him to a 21-save shutout.
That is what they will need to do, again and again, if they are going to stay above the playoff cutline and make some noise in the tournament itself.
Coach Patrick Roy’s constant reshuffling of the lines finally seemed to land on some combinations that did the trick here. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair had exactly the right response to their third-period benching on Saturday, playing most of the night up ice on a line with Jonathan Drouin. The trio produced a goal when Barzal tipped Isaiah George’s shot from the right point past Sam Ersson to make it a 2-0 game 5:41 into the second.
That was sandwiched between a pair of special teams goals, the first of which came from Pageau shorthanded at 14:29 of the first. Pageau took Casey Cizikas’ expertly spun feed off the wall and went bar-down to open the scoring.
Barzal then got his second point of the night on the power play, assisting Tony DeAngelo off the rush to make it 3-0 at 12:50 of the second. Ironically, that counted for DeAngelo’s first power play goal as an Islander. And, as Roy noted, the play was sprung by an active backchecking effort from Duclair.
Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) in action against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Flyers didn’t come up with much as far as a potential comeback, and Pageau’s second goal of the night made it a 4-0 game at 13:38 of the third. Maxim Tsyplakov’s feed off the wall to set up Pageau was just his second point and first assist of the year.
The reunited fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Cizikas and Kyle MacLean did its usual good work, while Emil Heineman and Bo Horvat clicked well on the second line. Max Shabanov got better alongside them as the game went on, as did Tsyplakov with Pageau and Anders Lee. The Islanders will hope that Tsyplakov — filling in for Holmstrom, who was a late scratch with illness — gets a much-needed confidence boost from putting a point on the board.
“That’s one of his best games this year,” Roy told reporters of Tsyplakov. “… Might not be easy at times, but he played really well.”
Sorokin, for once, was not under fire all night. His sixth shutout of the year required just 21 saves for comparatively little stress.
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The injuries are starting to pile up for the Islanders, who pulled the trigger on reinforcements in the form of Carson Soucy. The Islanders officially announced the deal after the game which sent a 2026 third-round pick down 495 and across the East River to the Rangers in exchange for the left-handed defenseman.
If Pulock’s upper-body injury has him miss serious time, though, Soucy won’t be enough. And Ritchie, who was called day to day with a lower-body injury, is suddenly a concern as well.
The way everything was piling up, a loss Monday would have felt like a crisis point in the season.
Turning in an all-around performance and a commanding win over the team directly below them in the standings instead was certainly a good way to take the pressure off.
“I thought we had a really good process,” Tony DeAngelo told reporters. “That’s how you win games: process. It was probably our best 60-minute game from start to finish in a little while here.”
Bo Bichette’s transition to third base is officially underway.
With just a few weeks left before players begin reporting to Port St. Lucie for spring training, Bichette took some reps in front of his new manager, Carlos Mendoza.
It’s still early in the process, but the Mets skipper seems to like what he saw.
“He’s an athlete,” Mendoza said on the NY Post’s “The Show” podcast. “We’re looking at a guy that has played shortstop his whole career -- watching him today moving around third, taking grounders, creating angles, and just the throws to first I was telling him it looks like you’ve played here before.
“It was exciting that I had that opportunity to see him today, he’s super excited and working really hard.”
Bichette, of course, will be taking over as New York’s full-time man at the hot corner after signing with the club on a big money three-year deal with opt outs just last week.
Prior to this season, he’s only played shortstop and some 2B during his big-league career.
Mendoza indicated that there are things the 27-year-old will have to learn through game reps, as expected, but emphasized that the team is fully confident in him making he switch.
“There are certainly going to be learning moments for Bo, and Jorge Polanco as well, as they understand the intricacies of their positions -- but with Bo we’re talking about someone who knows the game so well,” Stearns said.
“Someone who understands the game so well, has been around the game for his entire life, has a great work ethic on the field, has the aptitude -- we believe he’s going to get there and get there pretty fast.”
The Montreal Canadiens have one of the most exciting prospect pools in the NHL. Among their notable promising youngsters is defenseman Adam Engstrom, as the 2022 third-round pick has the potential to emerge as a solid NHL defenseman.
Engstrom played his first American Hockey League (AHL) season with the Laval Rocket during this past campaign. In 66 games with the AHL club, he posted five goals, 22 assists, 27 points, and a plus-14 rating. Overall, the left-shot defenseman demonstrated plenty of promise with Laval this past season but has been taking another step forward with his play so far in 2025-26.
In 28 games so far this season with Laval, Engstrom already has seven goals, 15 assists, and 22 points. With numbers like these, there is no question that the young defenseman has provided Laval with some solid offense from the point this campaign.
Engstrom is continuing to make an impact with Laval as the season rolls on, too. Over his last nine games with Laval, he has two goals and six points. This included him recording a goal and an assist in Laval's Jan. 24 contest against the Calgary Wranglers on Jan. 24.
The Canadiens will be hoping that Engstrom can continue to impress as the season rolls on. If he does, he certainly has a chance of getting another look on the NHL roster soon.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season and 42nd of his career, Darren Raddysh scored on a power play late in the second period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Utah Mammoth 2-0 on Monday night.
Brandon Hagel added a power-play goal in the final minute for the Lightning, who have won 15 of 17 and swept the season series against Utah. Tampa Bay moved atop the Eastern Conference standings with 70 points, one ahead of Carolina and Detroit.
Vasilevskiy, who leads the league in goals-against average, improved to 2-0-0 against the Mammoth, both shutouts. He blanked them last season, the inaugural campaign for the Utah franchise.
Raddysh took a feed from Nikita Kucherov and one-timed it above the shoulder of Karel Vejmelka for a 1-0 lead with 2:22 left in the second.
Vejmelka made 25 saves for Utah, which lost in regulation for only the second time in its past 12 games.
Kucherov's assist was his team-best 53rd of the season. He ranks third in the NHL in points with 79 and is second in assists.
Hagel's goal was his 26th, matching Kucherov for the team lead.
Tampa Bay's Nick Paul dropped the gloves with Utah's Ian Cole after Cole put a big hit on rookie Dominic James along the boards early in the second period. Paul and Cole each received 5-minute penalties for the fight.
Up next
Mammoth: Stay in Florida and visit the Panthers on Tuesday night.
There were some lineup swaps tonight with Cal Ritchie (lower body injury) and Simon Holmstrom (illness) out. Max Tsyplakov and Marc Gatcomb drew into the lineup, giving both of them an opportunity to make an impression after a tough game for the Islanders against Buffalo.
The Islanders bounced back tonight in Philadelphia, with JG Pageau scoring twice, including one shorthanded goal, Mat Barzal responding well to his third-period benching with a goal and an assist, and Ilya Sorokin recording his league-leading sixth shutout this season.
Early on in the first, though, Tsyplakov’s impact was just a hooking penalty, which the Islanders killed.
Noah Cates went to the box for holding, and we were treated to two very bad mixed up power play units, which bumped Barzal to the second unit, separated from Bo Horvat and Matthew Schaefer. That power play went poorly, and the Flyers killed it.
Then, the other swap in the lineup, Gatcomb, went to the box as well, but JG Pageau scored short handed, assisted by Casey Cizikas.
In the second period, the Flyers got an early power play after Adam Boqvist was called for high sticking. Before that started, Ilya Sorokin was down in the crease, but seemed to shake it off, after a Matvei Michkov shot hit him in the back of the leg and went in after the whistle blew.
With 30 seconds left on that power play, Scott Mayfield and Owen Tippett were both sent to the box for slashing and crosschecking respectively. The Islanders killed all of that, despite being down two defensemen.
Later, Barzal got a tip on an Isaiah George shot, putting it past Samuel Ersson after some cycling in the Flyers zone.
Cam York was called for tripping, and the Islanders took advantage of a shorthanded turnover at the blue line and Anthony Duclair passed the puck to Barzal who set up Tony DeAngelo to make it 3-0.
At the end of the second, Jonathan Drouin took a puck to the face and went right down the tunnel. Drouin came back for the third with some stitches, but otherwise was fine.
Emil Heineman collided with a ref behind the play and labored to the bench, but it wasn’t anything more serious as he played his normal shifts the rest of the game.
Schaefer drew a high sticking penalty, sending Tippett to the box, but the Isles couldn’t convert on the man advantage.
Tsyplakov then set up Pageau for his second of the night (and Tsyplakov’s first assist of the season!) to make it 4-0 and entirely bury any chance of a comeback from the Flyers.
The Islanders closed out the game and Ilya Sorokin picked up his sixth shutout of the season and extended his franchise record total, while Barzal, Duclair, and Pageau each scored two points (1G/1A, 2A, 2G respectively) and Isaiah George got his first assist of the season in just his second game back up in the NHL.
Up Next
Next, the Islanders have a home-and-home back-to-back with the New York Rangers starting Wednesday at UBS Arena. There’s been a rare trade between these two teams (not yet officially-official at time of posting, but Carson Soucy to the Islanders for a 2026 3rd round pick) so Soucy will likely debut against his old team and become the stable bottom pair defenseman this team has been missing almost all season.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ilya Sorokin stopped 21 shots for his NHL-best sixth shutout of the season and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored two goals to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.
Mathew Barzal and Tony DeAngelo also scored for the Islanders. The Islanders scored power-play, short-handed and even-strength goals.
A game after they were shut out for the first time this season, Pageau snapped the scoreless streak with his ninth goal of the season on a short-handed shot past Samuel Ersson.
The Flyers allowed their fifth short-handed goal of the season.
Pageau smashed home his second goal late in the third to finish off a listless Flyers team.
Barzal tipped-in Isaiah George’s shot for his 12th of the season at 5:41 into the second and DeAngelo — a former Flyer — added a power-play goal later in the period to help send the Islanders to their first win over the Flyers in three games this season.
The Flyers’ surprising season that had them in a playoff spot just three weeks ago took a detour with a six-game losing streak. The Flyers rebounded to win two of three on the road — including a 7-3 stunner at Colorado, who boast the best record in the NHL — but failed to carry that momentum with them home.
The Flyers never made Sorokin work with tough shots on goal and were just flat in front of a sparse crowd largely affected by a massive winter storm.
The few Flyers fans that stayed until the end chanted “at least get one!”
No luck. Sorokin earned his third shutout this month and second in four starts.
The Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak and kept third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Up next
Islanders host the Rangers on Wednesday, and the two teams play the next night at Madison Square Garden.
pic.twitter.com/be70R2GuX0
